I had the best time of his life. It’s the end of an era at Apple. (Sorry. Macalop just couldn’t resist.)

But this is End of an era, according to The New York Times, Apple has ended its contract with Jony Quince’s consulting firm LoveFrom.

Not much information from either Ive or Apple other than the usual “Dude, that band we don’t work with anymore was the best. Makes you wonder why we don’t work with them anymore!”

While neither side is saying much, the lack of analysis on what does it mean.

Ben Lovejoy of 9to5Mac says: “Johny Ive LoveFrom’s contract was probably just a PR sham; the ending means nothing.”

John Gruber points out in an update to the post about… divorce? Break up? Decided that no one is holding a boombox with “In Your Eyes” roaring in hopes of getting a second chance? (By the way, that’s a weird move, don’t ever do that.) Whatever, Gruber says Apple sources say Ive was doing product consulting just a few months ago, so that could mean somethingbut still, maybe not so much.

Paul Thurrott – definitely the guy you should go to for an Apple analysis – stated, “Apple failed with Jony Ive…” (tip of the horns to Tai) and that it’s all because Tim Cook hates Quince.

We’ll just… hide it under a newspaper to collect and immediately recycle later.

According to The Times, Apple’s refusal to renew the contract was due to the exorbitant rate that Ive charged, and for Ive, the ability to take any clients he wanted. Sometimes you just want to charge someone a lot of money! We’ve all been there. (Disclaimer: We weren’t all there.)

IDG

Interestingly, no one seems upset about this breakup. Just as few people said the sky fell when Ive left Apple, no one seems to have mourned End of an Era Part II: Re-Ending, this time it really is over. because we pretty much, Apple fans and Apple haters alike, chose to blame Jony Quince for the years in the middle and late of the previous decade when Apple pursued minimalism at the expense of usability. Of course, it is at least partly true that Quince is responsible, not that one person in an organization is ever solely responsible for all the bad things she does.

Except for that Gary thing. But we don’t talk about it anymore.

Ive was in charge of software design at Apple and he was known to love minimalism, but he was also reportedly burnt out and somewhat aloof after the death of Steve Jobs. The source once stated that he only smiled when someone told him that he managed to remove another port. (Another disclaimer: no one actually said this.) How much damage can a verified person cause?

Again, we’re not talking about Gary. We’re not talking about Gary. We’ve collectively decided to put this behind us, Gretchen. Don’t start digging it again. Nothing good will come of it.

It’s pretty sweet, though a little weird, which is something we all agree on. Jony Ive was bad for Apple! The guy who was in charge of the iMac, the white headphones, and probably a million other things you love so much (oh, now I get it!) Apple needs to break the sand. Don’t let the door hit you in the ass, legendary designer! Especially those huge glass doors in Apple Park!

Now that Quince’s influence has completely faded, it will be as interesting to see where Apple’s design goes as public opinion about Quince’s departure goes.